Let's learn about... The Dusky Slug!
Arion fuscus, also known as the Dusky Slug, is a small, air-breathing land slug. It can range in all sorts of colors from browns and greens, to yellows, oranges and even reds!
In central Ohio, these are one of the most common types of garden slugs and they live under fallen logs, bark in woodland areas, but also in hedges, gardens, pastures and dunes.
Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. Wow! Isn't that a mouthful?
The word slug is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a small internal shell, particularly sea slugs and semi-slugs (this is in contrast to the common name snail, which applies to gastropods that have a coiled shell large enough that they can fully retract their soft parts into it).
Did you know? A slug's body is made up almost entirely of water. They must generate protective mucus to survive. Many species are most active just after a rain because of the moist ground or during nighttime. In drier conditions, they hide in damp places such as under tree bark, fallen logs, rocks and manmade structures, such as planters, to help retain body moisture.
Fun Fact! Slugs produce two types of mucus: one is thin and watery, and the other thick and sticky. Both kinds are hygroscopic - this means that they absorb moisture from the air!
The thin mucus spreads from the foot's centre to its edges, whereas the thick mucus spreads from front to back. Slugs also produce thick mucus that coats the whole body of the animal.
The "slime trail" a slug leaves behind has some secondary effects: other slugs coming across a slime trail can recognize the slime trail as produced by one of the same species, which is useful in finding a mate. Following a slime trail is also part of the hunting behavior of some carnivorous slugs. Body mucus provides some protection against predators, as it can make the slug hard to pick up and hold by a bird's beak, for example, or the mucus itself can be distasteful.
Nature in your Neighborhood: Discover the magic that lies outside!
Is there a plant or animal you’ve seen around Coronado Woods that you’d like to see featured? Let us know!
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